Indiana University Athletics
Friday, January 30
Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
10:00 PM
Indiana University
at
#10 Illinois
No. 24 Indiana Wrestling Ready for Another Ranked Tilt
1/29/2026 9:00:00 AM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– No. 24 Indiana will head back on the road for its next dual as it faces No. 10 Illinois in Champaign, Ill. on Friday at 10 p.m. in Huff Hall.
Indiana enters the Big Ten dual with a 7-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the conference.
PENN STATE & MICHIGAN STATE REWIND:
-Indiana had two very different results in its matches last weekend at No. 1 Penn State and against Michigan State.
-The Hoosiers dropped their Friday night dual at Penn State in a 48-0 loss.
-Then, when coming back home, Indiana's home dual against Michigan State got pushed back from Sunday to Monday due to inclement weather around Bloomington.
-The matchup against the Spartans turned out to be a 32-13 win for Indiana in Wilkinson Hall.
-The Hoosiers were in a close match through four bouts as they led 10-7, but after that, they won five in a row to build the commanding advantage.
-The Hoosiers had five bonus-point victories in the match, which included a pin for Sam Goin and tech falls from Jacob Moran, Henry Porter, Tyler Lillard and Derek Gilcher.
-The Hoosiers have now won three duals in a row over Michigan State, dating back to 2024.
-The dual win put Indiana at 7-3 on the season, which marks four-straight seasons of notching 7-plus dual victories.
-This is the first time that has been achieved by the program since 2010-14 and the first time in the Angel Escobedo era.
-Indiana has four duals and one tournament remaining in its regular season schedule prior to the postseason.
ILLINOIS PREVIEW:
-No. 24 Indiana and No. 10 Illinois will face off on Friday at 10 p.m. in Huff Hall for their first on-campus matchup since 2022 and their first dual meeting since 2024.
-Last season, Illinois defeated Indiana, 34-3 at the innagural Big Ten Takedown dual which was held in Indianapolis, Ind. the day prior to the Big Ten Football Championship.
-Jacob Moran won the first match of the night by decision before Illinois took the rest of the bouts in the dual.
-While the final score was lopsided, there were seven matches decided by just three points or less.
-In the 2022 matchup, Indiana and Illinois met in the State Farm Center where Illinois won 36-3. Jacob Moran is the only Hoosier on the current team that wrestled in that dual.
-Based on the probable starters, there could be four matchups that feature ranked versus ranked wrestlers (125, 165, 174, 184 lbs.).
-The Illini have a total of nine ranked wrestlers, but only seven are projected to wrestle this weekend.
-They are led by No. 1 Lucas Byrd (133 lbs.) who is the defending national champion at his weight class and carries a 13-0 record thus far in 2025-26.
LINEUP CONTINUITY:
-Indiana's routine dual lineup consists of seven Hoosiers who made multiple starts at that weight class in 2024-25.
-Jacob Moran (125), Henry Porter (141), Tyler Lillard (165), Derek Gilcher (174) and Gabe Sollars (197) each are in at least their third season as a starter.
-Moran and Gilcher are the longest tenured wrestlers on the team and have been with the program since the 2020-21 season.
Indiana enters the Big Ten dual with a 7-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the conference.
PENN STATE & MICHIGAN STATE REWIND:
-Indiana had two very different results in its matches last weekend at No. 1 Penn State and against Michigan State.
-The Hoosiers dropped their Friday night dual at Penn State in a 48-0 loss.
-Then, when coming back home, Indiana's home dual against Michigan State got pushed back from Sunday to Monday due to inclement weather around Bloomington.
-The matchup against the Spartans turned out to be a 32-13 win for Indiana in Wilkinson Hall.
-The Hoosiers were in a close match through four bouts as they led 10-7, but after that, they won five in a row to build the commanding advantage.
-The Hoosiers had five bonus-point victories in the match, which included a pin for Sam Goin and tech falls from Jacob Moran, Henry Porter, Tyler Lillard and Derek Gilcher.
-The Hoosiers have now won three duals in a row over Michigan State, dating back to 2024.
-The dual win put Indiana at 7-3 on the season, which marks four-straight seasons of notching 7-plus dual victories.
-This is the first time that has been achieved by the program since 2010-14 and the first time in the Angel Escobedo era.
-Indiana has four duals and one tournament remaining in its regular season schedule prior to the postseason.
ILLINOIS PREVIEW:
-No. 24 Indiana and No. 10 Illinois will face off on Friday at 10 p.m. in Huff Hall for their first on-campus matchup since 2022 and their first dual meeting since 2024.
-Last season, Illinois defeated Indiana, 34-3 at the innagural Big Ten Takedown dual which was held in Indianapolis, Ind. the day prior to the Big Ten Football Championship.
-Jacob Moran won the first match of the night by decision before Illinois took the rest of the bouts in the dual.
-While the final score was lopsided, there were seven matches decided by just three points or less.
-In the 2022 matchup, Indiana and Illinois met in the State Farm Center where Illinois won 36-3. Jacob Moran is the only Hoosier on the current team that wrestled in that dual.
-Based on the probable starters, there could be four matchups that feature ranked versus ranked wrestlers (125, 165, 174, 184 lbs.).
-The Illini have a total of nine ranked wrestlers, but only seven are projected to wrestle this weekend.
-They are led by No. 1 Lucas Byrd (133 lbs.) who is the defending national champion at his weight class and carries a 13-0 record thus far in 2025-26.
LINEUP CONTINUITY:
-Indiana's routine dual lineup consists of seven Hoosiers who made multiple starts at that weight class in 2024-25.
-Jacob Moran (125), Henry Porter (141), Tyler Lillard (165), Derek Gilcher (174) and Gabe Sollars (197) each are in at least their third season as a starter.
-Moran and Gilcher are the longest tenured wrestlers on the team and have been with the program since the 2020-21 season.
Players Mentioned
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